The University has a horror of allowing its buildings to be used for political purposes, and of throwing them open indiscriminately to the public. Undoubtedly there is good reason for this attitude. If not line were drawn anywhere, the academic halls would in extreme cases become rallying places for street-corner orators and their followers. But as a sweeping iron rule it is unnecessarily severe, besides being economically wasteful in that it limits the number of hearers of educative messages.
At Dr. Nearing's lecture last Friday, women, even though they were escorted by members of the University, were refused admission; and, in spite of the fact that there were unoccupied seats within, were obliged to listen to the lecture from the adjoining hallway.
Although the lecture last Friday was well attended, it more often happens that a large number of seats are vacant. If students who so desired were permitted to bring two or three guests each, better audiences would be obtained for lectures, and other interested persons would be given the benefit of them. Nor, since members of the University would be sponsors for their guests, would there be danger of packing the halls with an undesirable element.
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PENN. BEATEN IN LAST QUARTER